Vehicle-top.



H. E. EDWARDS.

VEHICLE TOP. APPLICATION man SEPT. 24. 1915.

. 1,210,439. y Patented Jan. 2,1917.

BEST AVAILABLE COP" UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

HENRY E. EDWARDS; OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

VEHICLE-Tor.

To all lwhom t may concern: i

Be it known that I, HENRY E. EDWARDS, a citizen .of the United States, residing at Jackson, inthe county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Vehicle-Top, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for securing the tops' of carriages and automobiles to the bows that support the top, and its object is to provide connecting devices which may be attached to the tops during manufacture, so that the tops can be quickly and easily 'secured to or detached from the supporting bows without the aid of frames or special tools.

This invention consists in a series of cross-sections of various modilications oftheA l vehicle bow having attached thereto the retaining channels and tacking-strip's to which the top of the vehicle may be secured.

Similar'reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

Bows for vehicle tops are usually made with their upper portions of wood, properly bent and covered with'cloth, `the vertical portions often being of metaltubing or covered with sheet metal. The cloth tops are secured to these bows by means of largeheaded tacks, the bows being mounted on a dummy body or frame during the assembling. Ifa top isso'injured as to require replacement, it must be entirely removed and sent back to the factory, where a new top lis secured to the. bows. The present invention is designed to avoid the necessity of removing the bows from the vehicle, but to permit a new top to be substituted for the one injured ina minimum of time.-

In carrying out this invention, steel' bows are preferred as they do not warp or swell out of shape, as do most wooden bows. Padding-up the low spots is therefore unnecessary. These bows are formed with evenly spaced holes, the spacing and sizes of the holes and fasteners being aiilac in all. bows so that the topse are intcrcliaagreable.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ythe tacking-strip 40.

@The tacking-strip to which the top is directly secured may be-of wood, fiber board or any other material that isadapted to hold the tacks. In Fig. 2, this strip 1 is flat and substantially rectangular in crosssection and is held in position in a channel bar`2 of light sheet metal having inturned edges 3 to hold the strip in position. The top 4 may be secured to the strips by means of tacks 5, the endsv of which turn over when the tacks are driven down against the sheet metal. In Fig. 3, the bow 6 is shown Vformed with small threaded sleeves 7, formed by properly punching the metal of the bow and then threading. Screws 8 extend through Patented Jan. 2, 191 '7'.

Application led September 24', 1915. Serial No. 52,341.

the top, tacking-strip andchannel into the bow, vand secure the parts together.

In Fig. 4, the channel 9 is narrow and provided 'with lateral extensions 10 and downward extensions 11 that engage the bow 6 to support the top 4 and tacking-strip 12. A rivet 13 is shown to extend entirely through the tacking-strip and bow. In Fig. 5, the channel 15 and tackingestrip 1 6 fit the curved surface ofthe bow,being held in postion by means of the rivet 17.

In Fig. 6, the tacking-stripl 18 fits within 'a channeled tube composed of the flat plate 19, anges 20 and saddle 21 that fits onto the bow 6. A bolt 23 is shown holding the I top4, tacking-strip and channeled tube in position on the bow 6.

- In Fig. 7, the bow 25 is incomplete,:that is, it is formed with a longitudinal slot into which the channel l2 a'nd tacking-strip 27 extend, being heldin place by means of a rivet 28. The channel in Fig. 8 is shown to be flat and of double thickness so that the edges of the tacking-strip 29 are held in place by longitudinal braces 3'0. side 31 o-f vthe channel is held against the fiat side 32 of the bow 33 by means of 'rivets 34. In Fig. 9 the bow 36 is formed with' a channel 37 -to receive theridge 38 formed on the bottom of the channel 39 that holds The flat i Any desired means may be employed to hold the parts together.

Where a 'curve of large diameter is desiredoat the front or rear end of the top, a

channel 42 may be secured tothe bow G by means of'screws 8, and this channel may be formed with. curved flanges or lateral eritensions 43 of any desired width and curva the screws '8 passing through the top 4 and the tackingstrip 44 as before explained.

"libc cbanne's and tackingstrips will be properly positioned by the workman on a bench or frame and the cloth top drawn over them and tacked in place. The holes for the screws 8, rivets 13 or bolts 23 are then drilled, after which the top may be rolled up and stored or shipped. When the top is to be secured to the bows, the middle fastening device for the end bow is preferably positioned first, after which those on each side of the middle are inserted and secured. The ends of the tacking-strips and the channels that reinforce them may be bent at their ends to follow the curves of the` bows, as

shown in Fig. l, and then be secured in po-v be entirely omitted if desired, although` such construction will lack the strength, finish and permanence which are secured by reinforcing the tacking-strips.

I claim v Y l. In a vehicle, the combination of a bow, a-clotl1 top, a strip of fibrous material extending transversely to the top and to which the top is secured independently of the bow, a metal reinforcement for the strip, and fastening devices extending through the strip and reinforcement for securing the top and strip to the bow.

2. In a vehicle top, the combination of a tubular metal bow having a series of evenly spaced apertures in its outer side, a sheet of fabric, a strip of fibrous material extending transversely t0 the sheet, tacks driven through the sheet and strip to secure them together independently of the bow, and fastening devices extending through the sheet and strip and into the apertures in the bow to secure the parts together.

8. In a vehicle top, the combination of a tubular metal bow having a series of evenly spaced threaded apertures in its outer side, a sheet of fabric, a tacking-strip of fibrous material extending transversely to the sheet, tacks driven through the sheet into the strip to secure the sheet to the strip independently of the bow, a reinforcing channel of sheet metal in which the strip is mounted, and screws extending through the sheet, strip and channel into the apertures in the channel to secure the parts together, the channel fitting tightly against the bow and surrounding all sides of the tacking-strip excepting that to which the sheet of fabric is secured. l

4. In a vehicle, the combination of a bow, a cloth top, a strip of fibrous material extending transversely to the top and to which the top is secured independently of the bow, a strip of sheet metal in the form of a channel fitting tightly against the bow and sur rounding all sides of the strip excepting that to which the top lis secured, and fastening devices for secu ring the top and strip to the bow.

5. `In a vehicle, the combination of a bow, a cloth top, a strip of fibrous material extending transversely to the top and to which the top is secured independently of the bow, a strip of sheet metal in the form of a channel fitting tightly against the bow and surrounding all sides of the strip excepting that to which the top is secured, and fastening devicesv for securing the top and strip to the bow, the edges lofthe channel extendinglaterally and together with the strip forming a cylindrical surface on whlch the top may be supported.

6. In a vehicle top, the combination of a tubular metal bow having a series of evenly spaced threaded apertures in its outer side, a sheet of fabric, a tacking-strip of fibrous material extending transversely to the sheet, tacks driven through the sheet into the strip, a reinforcing channel of sheet metal in which the strip is mounted, and screws extending through the sheet, strip and channel into the apertures in the channel to secure the parts together, the channel fitting tightly against the bow andv surrounding all sides of the tacking-strip excepting that to which the sheet of fabric is secured and having laterally extending edges, which, together with the tacking-strip, form a cylindrical surface adapted to support the rear end of the top.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

HENRY E. EDWARDS. 

